Pokémon DLC would "ruin the worldview" of the series

The Pokémon development team is adamantly opposed to the idea of premium DLC, and has been right from the start of the franchise.

“When it comes to business, the one thing I’ve always said ‘no!’ to is ‘the act of buying Pokémon with money,’” art director Ken Sugimori said in a Japanese interview translated by Siliconera.

“That is something that has been said since the days [creator Satoshi] Tajiri was completely involved in everything.

“The reason being, is because it’s one of things that could ‘ruin the worldview’ of Pokémon. I believe the reason we don’t simply commercialize [Pokémon], is that it’s a way of protecting the brand, and for this purpose, we have the specialty company called The Pokémon Company. Therefore, suppose we sell a Pokémon for 100 yen, then we must prepare something that is worthy of that 100 yen, along with a reasonable consent for doing so.”

The latest entry in the series, Pokémon X & Y, is selling gangbusters, and Nintendo has never complained that it needs to better monetise the series.

Thanks, NintendoLife.